Barguil wins stage 13 of Vuelta

The young rider for the Argos Shimano team won a battle of nerves and tactics to escape from a breakaway group of nine riders in the stage between Valls and Castelldefels, just south of Barcelona, reports Xinhua.

The 169-km stage was dominated by the steep climb of Rat de Penat - a first category mountain, which saw the riders climb over 40 metres with an average gradient of around 10 percent.

An escape group of 18 riders reached the bottom of that climb together, but that was reduced to around nine by the closing stages.

With ample lead over the main peloton, which included the race favourites, the nine escapees started a game of cat and mouse.

Barguil showed he still had enough energy in his legs, as he brokeaway and finished ahead of Rinaldo Nocentini and Bauke Mollema.

The main pack crossed the line almost three minutes behind.

There are no changes in the overall standings with Vincenzo Nibali still holding a 33 second lead over Nicolas Roche and a 46 second gap over Alejandro Valverde and Chris Horner.

All of that could change Saturday as the Vuelta reaches the Pyrenees for the first of a series of stages in the high mountains.

Saturday's stage takes the riders 155 kilometres from Baga to the mountain Principality of Andorra in a day, which includes one special climb, followed by two second category ascents.

The stage finishes with a first category climb, which sees a rise in altitude of almost 600 metres.